Megalomaniac
by Kizunami
Summary: This is the story of Stormicide and Gamma Jack, and relates about how Stormicide discovered her powers. It also tells of their rocky marriage. And ARE supers superior to humans?
1. The Raging Quiet

This starts a few years before my "Sunshine" fic, just for your information.

**Chapter One – The Raging Quiet**

For the longest time, Kimberly Daniels had been silent. She had been lucky, born into a rich family, and had the privilege of being given whatever her heart desired. All that came at a price, of course, but she didn't realize it herself until much later. When her parents arranged for her a marriage with Jacques Antoine Dubois, a New York businessman who was very wealthy due to his being a descendent of a family of French aristocrats, she didn't complain. Kim was the daughter of a rich family, and marrying someone for her parents was something she had always expected to do. And so, at the ripe young age of 22, Kim was married.

If her parents had known Jacques as well as Kim did now, she doubted that they would've agreed to the wedding without so much as a tear in their eyes. Their very first night together, right after he had taken Kim's well-preserved virginity, he had told her his greatest secret: that he was a superhero.

At first, Kim had just laughed at him, asking him if he had had a little too much wine to drink that night. "You can't honestly expect me to believe such a story?" she had asked laughingly. Jacques had been totally deadpan, however, which alarmed her. The very next day, once he was sober, he took her to a quiet place and showed her his power, a controlled radiation burst that issued from his hands at will, by knocking over a tree and burning it. Kim didn't remember much after that, because she had fainted.

"I'm telling you this because I care about you, sort of." Jacques had said. "Yeah, this wasn't something we both agreed to, but if we're gonna be stuck together for the rest of our lives, I might as well tell you that I have super powers."

After that, Kim pretty much closed up, only talking to her husband when absolutely necessary. He went to work early in the morning, and didn't return until later in the evenings. She was his wife, so she did as she was told, but everything she did or said seemed to be more out of obligation and fear than love. Her husband was Gamma Jack, one of the most powerful supers in the United States. And here she was, an ordinary woman with nothing to offer. This went on for almost three years.

But finally, the silence was broken.

--

She had been taking a nap, on break as a housewife. Jacques had plenty of money, and the money her parents had given her after the wedding was just icing on the cake. As a result, Kim had absolutely no reason to work, and besides, Jacques wouldn't have it. He had long believed that a woman's place was at home, and so Kim spent her time cleaning the house, cooking, and waiting for her hero of a husband to come home.

What first awoke her was the smell of smoke. As soon as she woke up, she felt a stinging sensation in her eyes, which promptly began to tear up. Coughing, she saw that she had accidentally left a kettle of tea on the stove, which had somehow lit on fire. While she had slept, the fire had spread to the adjacent cabinets. Their fire extinguisher had literally exploded a few days before, and Kim hadn't had time to buy another one. She couldn't just let their house burn down. It was where she had spent her entire life as a married woman, voluntarily or not! And besides, Jacques would probably be extremely angry with her for being so careless.

Kim quickly thought back to her middle school education…_What was it that fires use to burn? They emit carbon dioxide…oxygen! Oxygen! I have to get rid of the oxygen!_ Kim looked around wildly for something. She tried pouring water on the fire, but it was becoming much too large and the water had little effect. Thinking quickly, she knew that fanning the fire would do no good; it would just make things worse. Kim just stared at the fire thinking _Oxygen! Oxygen!_ And suddenly, her lungs felt…relieved. She stopped coughing, and realized that the smoke was no longer poisoning her. Surprised, she took a few breaths, and looked around. Most of the smoke had gone out of the house, having escaped through the scattered open windows.

But where was the fire? Kim looked back at the stove and cabinets, but there were no flames. She saw charcoal-colored bits and pieces of things here and there, so she hadn't simply imagined the fire. The cabinets and countertop had been decimated, and the kettle was truly black _now_. On the other hand, she was glad that she had stopped the fire before it had—wait, _had_ she stopped the fire? She thought over what had just happened in her mind, trying to figure out just what had happened. _I just thought OXYGEN and then_…An idea suddenly dawned on her. Had she actually put out the fire herself?

There was a loud slam from the front door, followed by a large _CLANG_ noise and the sound of Jacques shouting obscenities because he had hit his shin on the coffee table. "Kim! What's that smell? Is that smoke?" he yelled from the front hallway.

"…yes, dear!" she replied hesitantly. Quickly enough, Jacques walked into view. His blond hair was tousled, and his black and blue supersuit was ripped in several places. Despite herself, Kim felt a surge of concern rush through her. "Jacques! What happened?"

"Eh, that damned Baron von Ruthless again, that's all, babe," His tone was almost tender, but Kim decided to dismiss any hopes she had. He cared nothing for her, after all. Jacques had told her himself that he only put up with her because she was his wife, believing supers to be superior to normal humans.

"Are you hurt at all?" she asked. "Did you catch him?"

"The suit got a little ripped up, but I can get E to fix that, I guess," he shrugged. "And yeah, Incredible made sure that the Baron got behind bars. How long he'll _stay_ there is a different story…" he trailed off. Kim felt some amount of pride at the fact that the suit Gamma Jack wore was actually one that she had sewn herself. True, she had gotten the sturdy material from Edna Mode, but she had made the supersuit for her husband with her own two hands. Since then, Jacques had only worn that supersuit, and even the ones that E made to try to get him to do otherwise were left in the closet. As far as she knew, he was the only super to not use an Edna Mode supersuit. "The more important thing is…" he continued, "What the hell happened to our kitchen?"

Her train of thought abruptly crashed, Kim whirled back and looked at the stove, as if noticing it for the first time. "Oh!" she looked at Jacques sheepishly, but it was obvious that he wouldn't believe any lies or feigned ignorance. "I…left the stove on and there was a fire."

Jacques considered at her quizzically. "How did you put the fire out? Our fire extinguisher…" He shook his head. "You don't even look like you got scorched at all, but from the looks of it, the fire was pretty huge."

"I, uh, poured water on it," this was at least partially true, and there was water on the floor to make good of her claim. Kim surprised herself. Why not tell Jacques about how she had…? She mentally reprimanded her inner voice. She had no proof, and even if she _had_ stopped the fire, Jacques would probably just laugh at her unrefined abilities. This story seemed enough to convince him.

Not angry like she would have expected, Jacques only sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Kim, you're my wife. Try to be a little more careful, 'kay?" he looked over at the grandfather clock and caught the time: five o'clock PM. "Man, I'm really beat. Kim, I'm going to bed."

"Already?" It wasn't like her husband to tuck in before midnight; he was a nocturnal person who lived for parties and social gatherings.

"Yeah." He gave her a shrewd look. "Unless…you'd like to join me? Might not get much sleep, though."

Quickly ascertaining his meaning, Kim shook her head, disobedient for once. She had something else she had to prove to herself. Though surprised, Jacques went to their room by himself without a fuss. As soon as he'd gone, Kim went to the living room cabinet above the shelves and pulled out a long candle. She found a box of matches and lit it, staring at the flame for a few moments. _Oxygen_. She thought. Nothing happened. Kim thought of sucking the oxygen out from around the flame, and with a small _whoosh_, the little flame went out. Excitedly, Kim re-lit the candle. This time, she thought of adding more oxygen to the fire, and the flame grew in size. Surprised, Kim thought _Less! Less!_ The fire quickly extinguished again.

For a long time, Kim stared at the top of the candle where the flame had been. She _had_ put out that fire. Could it be that she had super powers of her own? Terribly confused, yet filled with a great feeling of curiosity and wonder, Kim trudged off to bed, lying beside Jacques. From the sound of his breathing, she could tell that he was asleep. Perhaps they were equals after all.


	2. Kim Becomes a Superhero

**Chapter Two – Kim Becomes a Superhero**

After Jacques had left for work the very next day, Kim sat on the couch contemplating all the reasons why she _shouldn't_ become a superhero, now that she had discovered her powers. "It's dangerous" came to mind. She hadn't exactly been trained for things like kickboxing and karate, only for housekeeping, flower arrangement, and other things that were pretty much useless unless Susie Homemaker the Supervillain attacked her. "Jacques would hate it", too, surfaced amidst the other thoughts. Her husband had ranted several times about how useless the female supers were, and remembering the incident with the fire extinguisher, she knew that her husband was a force to be reckoned with.

Of course, it would be frighteningly easy to become a superhero, too. Jacques was always leaving home and returning home like clockwork; his schedule was set and he had never strayed from it in the few years of their marriage. Kim assumed that he just completely underestimated her, so he always thought that she would just stay at home like a good wife. And a good wife she had been, for quite some time.

Another thought occurred to her: What _did_ Jacques do when he wasn't at home? He never really told her in detail, only regaling her with tales of harrowing events, terrible villains, and dangerous situations that he got out of with flair. In short, he was a wholly narcissistic human being, and he only told her about his job when he felt like having his male ego stroked. _What if…_and the thought scared her. _…he's been seeing someone behind my back?_ _Why, I have absolutely no idea what he does when he's not with me, and that's more than half the day!_

And so, the superhero named Stormicide was born not because she wanted to make the world better or protect Metroville, but simply because she wanted to spy on her husband without him knowing who she was. The name Stormicide she had simply made up off the top of her head, combining the word "storm" with the suffix "-cide", which she figured had something to do with killing. The name sounded cool enough, so it stuck.

Kim dug through Jacques's files, and found a small notebook where he kept a list of names and phone numbers. She thumbed over to the M section, where she saw the name Edna Mode. Quickly grabbing her telephone, she dialed the number and waited. "Hello?" a mousy voice said over the line.

"Ms. Edna?" Kim asked, unsure.

"Yes, yes, it is she. What is it that you want? Who is this?" the voice on the other end, whom Kim decided was Edna, sounded very agitated.

"I'm…Kim Dubois?" When the woman said nothing, Kim muttered "Gamma Jack's wife?"

There was laughter indicating recognition as the fashion designer twittered. "Oh! How _splendid_, darling! What is it your husband wants? He never calls me, you know. Thinks that your sewing is better. Pah!"

Kim could have sworn that the words were meant to be an insult, but did not know how to respond. "Actually…this is for me." She said after a pause.

There was a long, awkward silence before Edna replied, "I only design for superheroes, darling. For _gods_. No offence meant, of course."

The comment stung, and Kim struggled to maintain her composure despite feeling terribly underestimated again. "I…I _am_ a super. I have powers."

"_Really?_ Why wasn't I told of this before?" rather than sounding surprised, Edna only seemed wary, as if she was suspicious of what she was being told. When Kim didn't answer right away, Edna sighed. "Darling, why don't you just come over? We can discuss this woman-to-woman." She gave Kim the address to her estate, and after the two had hung up, she went to change.

It was a strange feeling, leaving the house like this. Sure, Kim went to buy groceries, visit friends occasionally, but despite this, the house still felt like a cage. Doing something completely behind her husband's back was refreshing. Kim brushed her long, dark brown hair that was halfway down her back and naturally wavy until it was sleek and free of tangles. Once she had gotten dressed, she went to the garage, got into her car, and drove to Edna's mansion.

--

"So let me get this straight, darling. You _are_ a super. You have powers that you didn't even know about until yesterday when you…"

"Put out a fire." Kim interjected. "And yes…Jacques…Jack doesn't know about me."

"_Interesting_. So. You can emit or suck in any sort of gas from the air? I think a supersuit for you should probably be very resilient, with gas-storing capabilities." Edna was doodling away on a pad of paper, planning out the suit. "How will you be paying for this? Should I call Gamma Jack for you?"

"No!" The fashion designer looked rather aghast at Kim's rough answer. "I…I don't want him to know about it. I'll figure something out." She was told to pick up the supersuit in three days, and Edna told her that she should register with the NSA so that she could start getting assignments and have an actual job.

--

Kim had just hung up after a conversation with Agent Dicker when she heard the front door slam. "Kim? I'm home!"

Jacques. She got up from the couch, smoothing out her skirt. Kim was now officially registered as Stormicide, and the NSA had promised to not tell Gamma Jack anything about her true identity. She was to start combat lessons the next day. "H-hello dear!" she called out. Kim knew that she was a terrible liar, and hoped that her husband would be too tired to notice how nervous she was. "Are you hungry? I can whip something up for you in just a few minutes."

"Screw that, I'm taking you out to eat," he said, walking into the living room, loosening his tie and setting his jacket on the table.

"Jacques?" this was a surprise. The last time they had gone out to eat was the day after their first night together, and it seemed like merely an obligation to Jacques after taking her virginity, telling her about his powers, and moving her miles away from her parents all in one night. It had been terribly awkward, too, they had just sat in silence, picking at their expensive French food and both wishing that they were anywhere but where they were. "For what occasion?" They never ate out together no matter what the occasion, so it was a dumb question. It was probably just on a whim.

"Let me think, Kim. The kitchen freaking BURNED UP yesterday, so I'd think that you wouldn't want to be in it for a while. Sheesh, I was just thinking about your needs. Do you have to question everything I do?" he snapped.

"Are you angry with me? Because the last time I checked, I never questioned _anything_ that you did." She said quietly, though her tone was a tad on the threatening side. The couple stared at each other for quite some time.

Jacques sighed. "All right. You know what? It's been a rough day. I'm tired, you're tired. Let's just drop it and go eat already, ok?" He had that tone that said _Argue with me now and you'll feel my wrath_.

Kim didn't particularly feel like arguing, either, so she merely shrugged and agreed. Avoiding another conflict sounded like a good idea. Of course, she was secretly surprised of the fact that he had thought of her at all, more so than his actually taking her out to eat. Jacques picked up her coat from the coat closet near the front door and helped her put it on. Apparently it was the day of good deeds from her husband. She was mentally angry with all housewives that took such things for granted. After Jacques put his jacket on, they both got into the car. _Don't do this_. She thought, watching Jacques as he backed out of the garage. _Don't make me love you._


	3. L’Château

By the way, it's not that I'm rushing this story consciously, it's just that I intend it to be shorter than Sunshine, so I have to be a little more…cautious with the time.

**Chapter Three – L'Château**

Kim didn't even know why she'd bothered worrying. She had felt her heart skip a few beats in the car, simply because she had been used to getting _no_ attention whatsoever from her husband, so him taking her out to dinner was a very big deal. But them eating out wasn't any more special than them eating at home. They didn't speak at all, and whenever he wasn't looking, Kim was staring at him, trying to figure out what was going on in his mind. That single, inutterable question lingered in her mind: _Are you being faithful to me_? Even that was strange to her, because it wasn't like there was any love in their relationship. Jacques probably felt no need to be loyal to her at all.

Of course, this made it all the more urgent that she become a hero quickly, just to find out what he'd been doing behind her back. _This is just out of curiosity, of course_, she told herself.

The week wore on, and Kim became very familiar with L'Château, as they dined there every night. She kept thinking that she had heard the word L'Château before, and that it was very important somehow, but couldn't place where she remembered it from. Jacques kept putting off the rebuilding of the kitchen, and Kim spent her days with the NSA trainer, learning basic combat skills. Two people, both leading double lives, and one marriage, being torn in half because of it.

--

"It's…it's beautiful!" Kim was surprised at the supersuit Edna had cranked out. It was completely white, except for the red collar and boots. The white was more of a pearly color, though, and shined with an otherworldly sheen. "Probably costs a fortune, too."

"Yes, well, I'll let you pay the $100 in installments, since there's a problem with…your husband. Why aren't you telling him?" Edna looked very mischievous.

"I…well…" Kim didn't exactly want to explain her reasons.

"Are you trying to _spy_ on him, perhaps?" Edna asked, doodling circles onto a notepad. Kim flushed, embarrassed that she had been found out. Becoming a hero to spy on one's husband wasn't exactly a _pure_ reason. "You know…" Kim looked up. "No matter what the others say, you should believe in your husband."

Clearly, Edna didn't know the state of their relationship. "But—"

"Shut up and listen to me, darling!" Edna yelled at her. Kim meekly closed her mouth. She wasn't used to dealing with such powerful people. "They know _nothing_ about him. He has _reasons_ for what he does!"

"What…does he do?" Kim asked hesitantly.

Edna smiled a knowing, world-weary smile. "Why don't you find that out for yourself, darling?"

--

It had been almost two months since the first time Jacques had taken her to L'Château. Kim had finished off her combat training within five weeks of starting the course, but for the week she had started officially accepting "hero work", the villains had been strangely tame. Either that, or the other supers had been snatching them up before she had a chance. Kim didn't mind _too_ much, as she wasn't exactly looking to be a hero. Things like being super-confident in her powers, or really _wanting_ to help others—Kim didn't really have those.

It was mid-April, and Kim was enjoying the cool spring weather while it lasted. Up ahead, she saw where a downed tree had knocked over a power line, and ran over to see if anyone had been hurt. There was a tricycle next to the tree, and Kim sped up, fearing the worst. As she approached, she saw that the kid's leg was underneath the tree trunk.

"It's all right now," she told the girl, who was crying. "I'll get you out of this mess."

The girl looked up at Kim, confused. She had never seen this super before, and was unfamiliar with her. "Who are you? Can you get Mr. Incredible? He's strong!" she babbled.

Kim smiled knowingly, not offended in the least. "I'm Stormicide. Don't worry, I'll help you out." She took out a super-knife and carefully sliced the tree trunk in two places around the leg. Grateful that she had had some weight training, Kim took a deep breath, and pulled the piece of the tree trunk off of the girl's leg. There was a deep gash from the tree bark, and Kim winced. It would probably leave a rather large scar.

"Hey, is everything OK over there?" she turned and saw a super in a purple and red outfit race towards her. Kim quickly searched her mental inventories for a name. She had spent time studying all the Metroville supers' names, faces, and powers just days before.

"Ah…Downburst! Yeah, a tree crushed her, but I got her out all right. She's rather injured, though. If I understand right, that's your area of expertise, isn't it?" she grinned, talking smoothly to gain the other super's favor.

Downburst smiled sheepishly. "Yeah…that and making bicycles." He muttered the latter. Kim moved aside to let Downburst examine the girl's leg. "You're going to be all right now." He reassured her. Downburst moved his hands over the wound, and Kim watched in rapture as the skin started re-arranging itself. Within moments, the leg looked fine and there was no wound to speak of. After looking at it a big more, Downburst stood up. "It doesn't look like she has any broken bones. You might want to walk her to her house, just to tell her parents what happened."

"Shouldn't you come along?" Kim asked, helping the girl to her feet. Downburst had helped a lot, and if she went by herself, it seemed a bit like taking credit from him.

"Nah, that's all right. You helped her, I just…finished things off for you," He smiled broadly. "Do tell me your name, though. I don't think I've ever seen you before."

Kim shook his hand warmly. "I'm Stormicide."

"Stormicide," he repeated her name a few times. "Well, it's very nice to meet you."

As he walked away, Kim had to smile and wonder why all men couldn't be so polite and gracious. She helped the little girl to her feet, and picked up the tricycle, putting it under an arm. "Can I hold your hand?" the little girl asked meekly, looking at Kim in awe. Beaming, Kim nodded, and the two walked the short distance to the girl's house. Kim quickly explained to the girl's parents what had happened, and remembered to mention that Downburst had healed her wound. The girl's mother couldn't thank her enough, and forced Kim into the house for some cookies and punch before letting her leave.

Even though she had only entered the hero business for her husband, she felt happy inside at having done a good deed. On her way home, she called the police to tell them about the downed power line, and they thanked her, too. Nothing could have made the day better.

"You new around these parts?"

Kim froze. It was nearly seven o'clock and the sun had partially set, giving everything in its jurisdiction an orange tint. She turned slightly, and the sun behind her caught her hair, and the wind blew it, mussing it up. Breathing in deeply, Kim remembered that this was what she had started hero work to do. She had to look confident, or _he'd_ recognize her as his meek, obedient wife in a heartbeat. Kim put one hand on her hip, and whirled around, looking at Gamma Jack face to face for the first time. She smiled, trying to look as seductive as possible. "You could say that." She answered.

"Been a hero long?" Jack asked, walking up to her. He seemed so much taller in uniform…nearly half a foot taller than her.

"I'm from New York," she said slowly. This, at least, wasn't a lie. She _had_ lived there until she married him and moved to Metroville three years ago.

"Ooh, are all the girls up there as pretty as you?" he smirked, now just a foot away from her. Kim kept up her smile, but in her mind she was screaming. _Does he know? Does he flirt this obviously with ALL the girls?_

Kim forced herself further, to just take it for a little longer. She took a baby step towards him and ran her hand along his collarbone. "I don't know. Are all the guys in Metroville going to hit on me like you do?" She begged him mentally to not see her hand quivering.

To her surprise, he took a step back. "What…what's your favorite restaurant?" he suddenly burst out. Dumbfounded, Kim wondered if she had made him uncomfortable, or if he simply had wanted to change the subject. Neither prospect was too comforting, but at least she knew Jack hadn't recognized her yet. If he had, he would've said so, carted her home over one shoulder, and given her an angry lecture on a woman's place.

"Why does it matter?" she furrowed her brow in frustration. Then " …I don't know. I haven't been here long enough, I guess. What's yours?" she replied, her words coming out a bit more quickly than she would have liked.

"L'Château." He replied earnestly, turning away from her and looking up at the sky.

Kim suddenly remembered something about that word. There was a French song that Jacques had sung her often before their marriage. He had been sweet then, almost indulgent. She had been forced to learn the song, and some French, on account of his parents being very strict about Jacques's wife. ("Damned Americans! French is the language of the gods—English, of heathens!" they had told her many a time.) He was actually a pretty good singer, too, and she remembered hating having to sing the song for him, because she thought her singing was terrible. "No no, Kim." He'd said reassuringly. "I like your singing. _Adore_ it, actually. You sound like the wind."

By impulse, she opened her mouth and the song flowed out, unwavering and yet mixed with confidence and insecurity both. "Le château est dans le ciel. Le bateau est sur l'eau. Les oiseaux volent. Les poissons nagent. Et vous êtes ici avec moi." _The castle is in the sky. The boat is on the water. The birds are flying. The fish are swimming. And you are here with me_. Kim was surprised at how different she sounded. Jack was giving her a look of pure curiosity.

"Who are you?" he asked incredulously, having turned back towards her during her song. His head was tilted slightly, and he was gazing at her with…some feeling she couldn't possibly recognize.

Kim took a step backwards, away from him. "I'm Stormicide." She told him shortly, as she had told Downburst, and then she turned on her heel and ran home. He didn't come after her, she assumed he had more hero work because he usually didn't come home for another hour or two, and when she reached the house, she changed into one of her housewife dresses, hid the supersuit, and cried into her pillow for nearly an hour.


	4. When the Bough Breaks

To be consistent with "Sunshine", Stratogale is not a Metroville super during the time of this chapter, and is thus not at the tea party. (She won't become a super for another year, and is only 14 at this time) 

**Chapter Four – When the Bough Breaks**

As Kim had expected, Jacques wasn't home for another two hours after their meeting. When he _did_ come home, she found him in a rather strange mood. He came into the bedroom where she was sitting, reading a book quietly, and rather forcibly made love to her. They actually hadn't done it for about three weeks, so it struck Kim as odd, but she made no move to resist. Once they had finished, he begged her to sing that old French song. She had to pretend that she knew nothing of their meeting, so she feigned ignorance, asking him why he wanted her to sing—she hadn't for years! He didn't give her an answer, just asked her again to sing it. "Kim, _please_. _Please_ sing that song for me."

Jacques never _asked_ for anything, as a rule. In the past, it had always been "Kim, do this" or "Kim, do that", but he had never truly _asked_. She wondered if he was suspicious of her. "Le château est dans le ciel. Le bateau est sur l'eau. Les oiseaux volent. Les poissons nagent. Et vous êtes ici avec moi." Kim finally sang, though it was obvious even to her that she sounded completely different from before. She lacked the energy, the confidence that she had earlier, and the song lacked the spontaneity that it had had in that moment, which had given her inspiration.

Reassured, Jacques sighed, leaning his head back and sinking into the large, fluffy white pillows. Kim wrapped her body in a sheet, and sat up, intending to go turn off the light, but Jacques suddenly grabbed her by the wrist. "Leave it." He ordered, his voice husky.

"You can't possibly sleep with the light on like that!" she argued incredulously.

"Watch me." He snapped, moving his head to rest it in her lap, and then closing his eyes. Within a few moments, she knew that he was asleep. With a sad smile, Kim thought that he had to have been very tired when he got home, and yet…he had still persisted. She wondered bitterly if satiating his lust was more important to him than his well being, and came very close to crying again.

--

He was gone when she woke up the next morning at around nine o'clock, and Kim chided herself for waking up so late. She quickly changed into her supersuit, made sure all the doors were locked, and headed outside into the sunlight.

It had evidently rained a bit the night before, because the streets were covered with a layer of water, and the grass looked damp. Kim didn't mind in the least—now she had more hydrogen to draw from the air. She jumped from rooftop to rooftop, marveling at how little fear she felt. During the combat training, Kim had experienced all sorts of simulated scenarios, and learned how to do all sorts of things she had never thought herself capable of.

Agent Dicker had told her that being a super was special, because there were altered genes in your DNA. Aside from having superpowers, which were unique to each super, there were a few other things like heightened senses, and a capability for great physical prowess. So even though some supers had rather feeble powers, such as Stormicide's own, or others like Apogee, Downburst, and Everseer, their combat skills could still be trained well, and the powers would just be used as a clincher. Kim had been given various tools to be carried in a pouch on the left side of her waist, such as the super-knife, that would help in any situation.

Suddenly, she heard screams, and quickly ran in that direction. There was a building on fire, and Kim sighed. _Some things just keep coming back_. She thought, running up to it hurriedly. There were firefighters trying to combat the flames, but their water hose was doing little. "Is there anyone inside?"

"No, we got everyone out," they told her. It was a Sunday, and the building was an office, so few people had been in it to begin with. She nodded, and motioned for them to move away. Kim took a deep breath, and concentrated on pulling the oxygen away from the fire. Slowly, but surely, the flames started to die down. The firemen were watching her in wonder, and after just a few minutes, the fire had completely stopped. The building was still pretty burnt up, but Kim had managed to keep it from collapsing.

"Wow…" one of the firemen said. "If this keeps up, we won't have a job anymore!" he joked. They gave Kim a little radio so they could call her whenever they had a big fire on their hands and needed help. Knowing that they all needed jobs for money, Kim promised to stay out of it if the fire was just a small one that they could handle. The firemen thanked her profusely, and Kim walked away with a sense of great accomplishment.

--

Nearly three hours later, Kim was walking past the Metroville Bank, where a pair of robbers had been apprehended. She poked her head inside to see if everything was ok, and saw Gamma Jack speaking with the policemen. He saw her, and mouthed, "Wait".

She shut the door and waited outside, leaning against a tree. Jack saw that the criminals were in the police car, and then walked over to where Kim was. "Need something?" she asked, assuming that confident tone again.

"Stormicide, right?" he questioned. Kim nodded. "I wanted—where did you learn that song?"

"The one I sang yesterday?" Gamma Jack nodded, and Kim shrugged. "Heard it somewhere…a long time ago. Why?"

"Oh, no reason at all. Just curious, really," he smirked. "Enjoying the spring weather?"

Kim loved the spring; it was her favorite season. Thus, she had to make sure that Stormicide hated it. "Nah, I have allergies. I'm more of a winter person, myself."

"You're not trying to pull an 'ice queen' on me, are you?" he teased, obviously flirting again. Kim wanted to smack him for his lack of subtlety.

"Wouldn't dream of it," she rolled her eyes. "I've got to go." She said, checking a non-existent watch. As she walked away, she waved backwards. "Don't break any hearts." She heard him laugh, and felt terrible. Well, she knew that he could hit on random girls that he'd only met once, but did he do that to _all_ the female supers?

Kim heard Edna's voice in her head say: "He has _reasons_ for what he does!" Is this what she had meant?

--

The next day, Kim was invited to a female super tea party to be held in a week. There was a tea party four times a year, for various occasions. There was apparently a dance in December, and a tea party happened before that; the other tea parties were spread out, usually happening once a season. This one, in fact, was being held to plan the Spring Formal, which was held by the female supers. (The men planned the Autumn Ball) Kim had winced at the name of the party, thinking that it was very junior-high. There would be just a few women there, Psycwave, Apogee, Stormicide, Elastigirl, and Plasmabolt. Blazestone, as it would turn out, had been put into "rehab" for abuse of superpowers, and could not make it. Apogee was hosting this tea party at a modest little restaurant, and had rented it out so they wouldn't be overheard.

It seemed weird to Kim that, despite being superheroes, they could still lead such ordinary lives. Being a super had become her life, and she spent her entire day on the job, rather than being a housewife. But other supers, like her husband, had two jobs and led double lives. She had no idea whatsoever how they could possibly deal with such stress.

As soon as she got home, the phone rang. Kim answered it quickly and was surprised to hear Jacques on the other end.

"Kim! Where have you been? I've been calling for the past hour and you haven't picked up!" he yelled. Kim held the phone at arm's length as he continued his tirade. When she was sure that he'd finished, she put the phone back in its normal position.

"I was out shopping. _Surely_ I'm allowed to do that?" she heard him sigh. "What's wrong? You've never called me at home during the day before."

"My father…my father is in the hospital. I think…I think he's dying." His words hit her like a slap, and she could hear the desperation in his voice. "Kim, I want you to pack our things. We're going to fly in to see him in New York first thing in the morning."

"You want me to pack your things, also?" she didn't want to argue, not when it was this important, but was only trying to clarify. She knew that Jacques cared very deeply for his parents.

"Yes, yes. I'm…very tired. I'll probably crash as soon as I get home, and we've an early flight tomorrow." He explained, and she could hear him suppress a yawn. "Pack for a week, we'll be there awhile."

"What about your hero work?" she asked.

"There are some things more important than being a hero. The other supers can handle it, we're leaving." He hung up right after that, and Kim put down the phone after she heard the dial tone. She remembered him telling her that supers were superior to humans, but she laughed a little, thinking that that only applied to humans that he didn't care about. Quietly, Kim went into the master bedroom closet and pulled a large suitcase from the shelf. She chose nice clothing for the two of them, and folded them neatly into the suitcase.

When Jacques got home half an hour later, she helped him out of his supersuit and into his sleeping clothes, asked him no questions, and they both got into bed together. But Kim couldn't sleep; she just stared up at the ceiling, listening to the breathing of the super beside her that at that moment wasn't superior to anything.


	5. The Super Serum

Eh, there's a lot of French in this chapter. Check the footnotes for translations. 

** Chapter Five – The Super Serum**

When Jacques had said that they had an early flight, he wasn't kidding. Kim knew that were it possible, they would've left the last night, rather than in the morning, given the situation. She had checked their one suitcase, and carried only a purse onto the plane with her at five AM the next morning. Kim and Jacques had both left their supersuits back in their house in Metroville, and Kim had also left her various super accessories. She would be spending a lot of time with Jacques this week—Jacques, not Gamma Jack. And she would put her other life on hold just for this week.

Jacques still looked very tired when they were boarding the plane, so Kim gave him the window seat and persuaded him to sleep. "I'll tell you when we land," she promised. He leaned his head against her shoulder and quickly closed his eyes, still totally drained from the day before. Once, Kim remembered, he had told her that his power was especially energy consuming. After all, he used radiation waves, and there was some great power there. And great power used up great energy. Her mind strayed back to the fire extinguisher incident, but didn't dwell there long.

"You and your boyfriend seem extremely close, Miss." Kim turned her head slightly and saw an old lady sitting across the aisle smiling at her.

Kim returned the smile, but shook her head. "Oh no, he's my husband." She admitted.

The woman looked truly taken aback. "Your _husband_? But you two are so young! Why, you must be in your early twenties, at most!" Her radiant green eyes in confusion.

"Ah…we married young. It was arranged by our parents," Kim explained, making eye contact.

"An _arranged_ marriage? I thought those things were stopped long ago! I didn't think _anybody_ did that anymore. …You do _love_ him, though, don't you?" the woman asked eagerly. She was apparently one of those hopeless romantics.

Not wanting to let the woman down, and half believing in it herself, Kim replied, "More than anything in the world." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jacques's furrowed eyebrows smoothen.

--

About an hour later, she gently shook Jacques awake, telling him that the plane was landing. If he had heard her conversation with the old woman, as she suspected, he showed no signs of it. He seemed greatly refreshed after the one-hour nap, though, and cheerfully led Kim out of the plane holding her hand. They only had to wait for 10 minutes in the baggage claim before their large suitcase came out.

"Are you _sure_ you packed enough?" he was asking her.

"Quite sure, Jacques. You know I'm a very careful wife," she smiled. Jacques had his arm wrapped around her waist and stubbornly pinched her.

"Not careful enough to be at home when I call, though. Don't you ever do that to me again, woman. I almost had a heart attack when you wouldn't pick up." He snapped, though his tone was more playful. "You dames just come and go as you please."

It had been quite some time since she'd been in New York…she hadn't been home since right after the honeymoon, and that was just to pack her things and get ready to move. The air in Metroville was cleaner, and the people nicer, but New York was her home. Jacques rented a car, and they drove off towards the hospital where his dad was.

Much to Kim's surprise, Mr. Dubois wanted to speak to her before he spoke to his own son. She gingerly sauntered into the room and the nurse left, shutting the door behind her. "Have a seat," her father-in-law said to her, his voice hoarse, but the French accent still prevalent. She had learned from Jacques that he had had a bad fall and broken his hip. Kim nodded, and sat at the chair at his bedside. "These past few years, I have always wanted to tell you something, but never could. My pride, you see…it was too great. A Frenchman apologizing to some American girl! Fie!"

"Apologize for what?" Kim asked gently.

"I do not want you to think that I tricked you into marrying my son for some arbitrary reason. I knew about his powers, but I thought that you could accept him anyway. I thought…that you could handle him, because no other woman I'd met could. You had a strength beyond your years, Kimberly." He explained, speaking slowly so she could catch every word. Kim suddenly felt very guilty for her fears, the anxiety she felt the first few years of their marriage before she had discovered her powers. "Jacques, you see, he wrote me some time later, telling me that you feared him like Beauty feared the Beast. '_Il est incroyable_!' I was thinking, because with just a few words, your wonderful strength was defeated."

"I apologize deeply for that, _père_. I simply…I did not know how to respond. I no longer am afraid of him, but I fear that the time for apologies has passed. I fear that I cannot understand him, nor can I ever hope to." This was her deepest, darkest thought. She hadn't told anybody about this, and here she was now! She was telling it to her father-in-law who was on his deathbed.

"_Écoutez, écoutez moi_!" he snapped impatiently. "Believe me now when I say that boy loved you! He wouldn't have married you had he not! Whether he does still, I do not know. But he was absolutely smitten with you!" This came as a huge shock. Kim would have interrupted, but she had no idea what to say. The old man continued, "He told me, 'I must have her! Whatever it takes, father, she must be mine!' And once he had you, look what you did! And now the two of you are…so far apart. I blame myself for that. _Je me blâme._ Please forgive me, Kimberly. You were too weak. You have no powers, and you feared him."

"Ah, _mon père_." She suddenly understood everything. Kim stood up, and walked to the window, opening it. She pulled hydrogen into one hand, and oxygen into the other. The two gases were invisible, of course, but she knew they were there. She turned back towards Mr. Dubois, and concentrated on combining the gases in both her hands. Within a few moments, she had a beautiful, perfect sphere of water between her hands, spinning around and around. She walked back and sat down by the bedside. "I have powers, too, you see?" she crooned.

"When…when did this…!" he could not hope to react conservatively. "Does Jacques know?"

Kim shook her head. "I learned about my powers just a short time ago. I have kept them a secret, just as I hope you will continue to do for me," She smiled. She lowered the sphere into an empty glass on the table beside her, and it filled halfway with water.

"Why, then…why should he continue to work on that 'super serum'?" Mr. Dubois muttered. "It was for you!"

This was new information. "What…super serum?" she furrowed her brow in confusion.

"That is enough. I have said enough, and more than enough. I will not divulge your secret, but you must promise me that you will love my boy!" he was changing the subject on purpose, but not wishing to upset him, she let it go.

To put him at ease, Kim took his hand in her hands and gently massaged it. "I already love your son more than anything else on this earth. I no longer fear him, I only seek to understand." Again, it was a half-truth.

Mr. Dubois laughed bitterly, and then coughed a few times. "Bah! That Jacques does not deserve such a virtuous wife! Nurse!" he yelled the last word. "Bring my son in!" When Kim moved to leave the room, he stopped her. "You stay, _femme de mon fils idiot_!"

When Jacques was admitted into the room, Kim moved to the other side, letting him sit beside his father. "_Il y a une grande leçon à apprendre_. Understand this wife of yours, and may you strive to deserve her!" Jacques gave Kim a sideways glance, wondering what she and his father had spoken about. "And," he added. "You should forget about that 'super serum'! _C'est inutile maintenant_!" Full of his old pride still, Mr. Dubois dismissed the two of them, not letting Jacques get a word in edgewise. The couple left the hospital together and got into the car without another word.

As they got closer to the hotel, one question lingered in Kim's mind. "What is the super serum?" she asked Jacques while they were still in the car.

"Another time, Kim. Another time." He sighed, obviously still trying to figure out the meaning behind his father's words. For her part, Kim couldn't help but feel that trouble was brewing on the horizon.

--

**Translations to the French:**

_Il est incroyable _– It is incredible  
_Père_ – Father  
_Écoutez (moi)_ – Listen (to me)  
_Je me blame_ – I blame myself  
Mon – My  
_Femme de mon fils idiot_ – Wife of my idiot son  
_Il y a une grande leçon à apprendre_ – There is a great lesson to be learned  
_C'est inutile maintenant_ – It is useless now


	6. A Sense of Normalcy

Yeah…I think this is…my fourth "Megalomaniac" chapter today. I just got hit by a major inspiration wave, what can I say? "Sunshine" chapters are more planned out, so that's why I'm not cranking out a ton of them. This story is reaching its conclusion fast.

**Chapter Six – A Sense of Normalcy**

Kim and Jacques didn't wake up until nearly noon the next day. It felt strange, because for the first time in while, neither of them had to get up early to go do hero work. Kim took her time in waking up, and once she had finally gotten out of bed, went to the hotel room "kitchen" to brew up some coffee for Jacques, who was still asleep. The scent of coffee must have woken him up, because just as she was about to pour the coffee into a mug for him, she felt his arms wrap around her waist. They lingered for just a few moments, and then he released her. "Cappuccino?" he asked, yawning.

It was strange. Since she had become a superhero, her relationship with Jacques had been a lot closer than it had been in years, but he was hardly batting an eye at it. Why did she feel so comfortable with him now? It used to be strange if she said more than two sentences to him in a day.

Pushing her thoughts aside, she shrugged. "Your favorite, isn't it?" Kim poured the coffee, and then offered him the blue, polka-dotted mug.

"Always paying attention to detail, aren't you, Kim?" he laughed, taking a swig of the coffee. She poured herself some, and gripped the mug with both hands, taking a deep breath of the fragrance. "Nervous?"

"Why do you say that?" she furrowed her eyebrows, confused.

"Just something I noticed, you know?" he shrugged nonchalantly. "Whenever you're anxious about something, you always take a deep breath. Struck me as pretty cool, because most girls forget to breath when they're panicking." He grinned as he said the last part. "Even the super ones."

Kim scoffed. "Why should a superhero worry about anything? I thought they were superior to humans?" she looked him in the eye, trying again to read him to no avail.

"They are." Jacques asserted, though with less forcefulness than he would have in the past. "Jealous, are we? Don't worry about it, Kim."

Kim knew that she wasn't stupid. She had been educated with private tutors from a young age, and liked to think that she was actually a little brighter than most. When Jacques told her not to worry about the supers' supremacy, she guessed that it had something to do with the Super Serum, which she still had no idea about. Feeling uneasy, Kim decided to change the subject. "What are we doing today?"

Jacques shrugged again. "You tell me. I don't really care, s'long as you don't make me watch some chick flick or something."

"Can we…go shopping?" she asked hesitantly.

"You know, somehow I just _knew_ you were gonna ask me that," he sighed. His annoyed look quickly turned to one of impishness, however. "Well, it's about _time_ I started choosing stuff for you to wear!"

"I didn't say _anything_ about you choosing my clothes, Jacques. I just want you to whip out your credit card when it's time to go to the cashier." She joked, again surprised at how natural it felt. Of course, weren't wives supposed to joke with their husbands? All the feelings that were rushing through her—they were the ones she was supposed to have long ago.

"Now, I _know_ you didn't marry me for my money, Kim." He retorted, placing the mug on the countertop and putting on a look of pseudo-suspicion.

"Now, Jacques," she took a step towards him. "You know women are attracted to money and…" she ran her hand along his collarbone, and she could see the recognition in his gaze. His look of pseudo-suspicion suddenly looked very real. "Power."

--

Somehow, Kim ended up with a bagful of new clothing varying between revealing, and "almost illegal". She had no idea where she was supposed to wear such clothes, but Jacques had merely grinned at her and said, "Oh, you'll figure out something." He had completely forgotten, or pretended to have forgotten, about the déjà vu he felt earlier at her touch, much to Kim's relief.

And thus the week wore on. Had anybody met the two of them, the person would simply have assumed that they were a newlywed couple, because that's how they were acting. It was as neither of them were supers—just normal human beings in love. Kim herself was surprised at her behavior, and told herself constantly that the instant she was back in Metroville, it would stop. She hadn't finished spying on Gamma Jack yet, and could not be found out before learning what she wanted to learn.

They arrived back at the house in Metroville the first day in May, a Thursday. (Kim confirmed that the tea party was the next day and she hadn't missed it) She quietly unpacked their things and put them away in the closet, hanging up her new clothes.

She felt his hands at her waist again, a gesture that had become common during their week together. Kim took a deep breath, remembered the task at hand, and pretended to flinch. Jacques quickly pulled away.

"Kim? What is it?" he asked, looking a mixture of annoyed and concerned.

"N-nothing. It's just…" she wrapped her arms around herself. "It's uncomfortable when you do that."

She heard him scoff from behind her. "You were fine with it yesterday." He thought she was joking. Kim could hardly blame him because she felt terrible sending him such mixed signals, but she didn't think she could trust him yet. He had flirted with her terribly when she was in costume, and hadn't even recognized her. How faithful _was_ he?

"Look," she forced a hard tone so that she would sound realistic. "We were in New York all last week—my hometown. So I just got nostalgic and let myself go a bit, you know?"

"Why can't we just…stay like that, Kim? Is it so much for me to want my own _wife_ to want me?" he spat. "Is that _so much to ask_?"

"You're a _superhero_, Jacques!" She nailed him with the linchpin. "And I'm not. I will _never_ understand you, and I can never hope to." Kim mentally grimaced; she was becoming rather good at spouting half-truths. She turned around, assuming a face of utter fury, hoping that he wouldn't see through her.

Jacques had a look of complete and total shock, even looking hurt. And then, to Kim's utter horror, his expression did a 180-degree turn. Suddenly, he looked excited, almost _evil_. He chuckled—a bitter sound. "Just you wait, Kim. Once I finish what I've been working on, you won't think that way anymore! Thank you. You've just renewed my faith." Jacques turned on his heel and strode out of the closet. She heard the front door slam, and couldn't figure out which was worse—his evil look, or what was behind it.


	7. Megalomania, Romania

**Chapter Seven – Megalomania, Romania**

_It's almost June_. She thought. The spring that Kim loved so much was dying away. It was about seven o'clock in the evening, and the sun had partially set, giving everything an orange glow. Kim was at the upstairs window, staring outside. Jacques hadn't come home. It had been nearly two weeks since he had stormed out of the house after his reaction to Kim's fake anger, and he hadn't been home since then. Afraid that he might come home only for her to not be there, Kim did not leave the house once. (She called grocery stores to get them to deliver, or called in favors from friends) She had called Apogee the day after the "argument" to regretfully tell her that she could not make it to the tea party, or the actual Spring Formal itself. The latter did not particular upset her; Kim had never been much of a partygoer, even when she had still lived with her parents in upstate New York. The crowds, the bright lights, the loud music…none of it really appealed to her. Had it been her choice, she would have opted to buy a nice house by a pristine lake and live a quiet life.

Of course, she hadn't had a choice. Thinking back to her short romance with Jacques before her marriage, she had _actually_ thought that they could be happy together. They were both young then; she was still naïve and hopeful about the world.

Then the wedding happened, Jacques broke the news that he had radioactive powers, and the event of the terrible "fire extinguisher incident"…she still shuddered to think about it. Eating leftovers for the second night in a row, Kim picked at her food, constantly glancing at the clock. When would he come home?

Suddenly, she saw Downburst right outside her window, helping a kid who had fallen off of his bicycle. Aching for a conversation with another super, she quickly donned her supersuit and dashed outside.

"Downburst!" she called. He was down on one knee, and had just put the finishing touches on the kid's leg. There was absolutely no scar tissue left, and Kim had to marvel yet again at his powers. (He could make a great cosmetic surgeon one day) Downburst gently patted the kid on the head a few times, helped him back onto the bike, and sent him on his way with a wave.

"Why hello there, Stormicide," he smiled, turning up towards her. "Haven't seen you in a while." He gingerly stood up, dusting the grass off of his supersuit.

"I've been…on a vacation of sorts, you might say," she shrugged. "I guess I haven't really been around much, but all I did was help put out fires, anyway. I won't be missed." The two of them started walking down the sidewalk together. Kim knew that it was probably a strange sight, two supers talking a walk down the street. She was nearly four inches taller than him, to boot.

Downburst just laughed. "You know, I used to think the same way. I mean, my powers aren't exactly the best combative ones, and my martial arts abilities aren't that great, either," he paused and looked up at the sky for a few moments before refocusing his gaze on Kim. "But you know what? Being a hero means being a part of something greater than yourself. Every time I help out a kid who's fallen out of a tree, or help someone who was in a car accident, I think to myself, 'I have done something here'. Remember that kid that we saved a while back? What if some day she becomes a doctor who discovers a cure to the common cold or something?"

"So…you're saying that any action that saves another person, however miniscule, still has a major impact?" she regarded him carefully.

Downburst nodded. "When you say that you wouldn't be missed, it's not true. You're a superhero. All the people that know you rely on you, and the supers here can't always catch everything. What if someone needed your help and you weren't there for them? It'd be like letting them down!"

Kim's mind wandered back to Jacques, and she couldn't help but feel terrible. Her motives for becoming a super weren't the greatest, and she had said such terrible things…Perhaps it would be better to forget the whole thing and just trust in him. Kim smiled, something she hadn't really done in a while. "Thanks, Downburst. Really, thanks. I feel a lot better now."

"Well, I'm glad I could help, I guess." He smiled back. They walked together a little while longer, and then they parted ways. Kim hadn't been walking around the city since Jacques had left the house, so it felt good to stretch her legs again.

"_And we're going to take over the world, you and I…_" Kim stopped dead in her tracks. There was singing coming from nearby…a voice she recognized. It was followed by very feminine-sounding giggles. At first, she didn't want to draw near. She didn't want to see, she didn't want to know. Finally, she decided that it was what she had wanted to find out, and that she had to see for herself, with her own two eyes, whether or not her fears had been reality all along. Slowly, she took baby steps towards the alley between the drugstore and the shoe store. She heard the laughing again, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. After a few moments' hesitation, Kim walked into the alley.

And there he was: Gamma Jack, in all his heroic glory, in a dark alley with some blonde girl, kissing her and singing to her. The girl looked quite happy, too. Who wouldn't be happy about having the attention of one of the most powerful Metroville supers? She figured they'd be there for a while. Without making a sound, Kim ran back to her apartment. She quickly packed her things into a suitcase, leaving a short note on the bed that read _What I should have done years ago_.

After she had grabbed enough money to last her a good while, Kim left the house, leaving the front door unlocked. She left her suitcase in a safe place while she went back to the alley. There was a heavy sinking feeling where her heart was, and yet she was filled with an awesome sense of pride as she approached the alley again. It had only been about 20 minutes, but Gamma Jack and the girl were no longer there. With a sigh, Kim walked around the city some more. She didn't have to walk far, because after just a few minutes she found him again…with a different girl. A redhead this time to contrast the blonde. Kim mentally laughed bitterly at Edna's words. _Trust him? I'd sooner trust a snake._

She walked towards them and ahem'd to get Gamma Jack's attention. He took one glance at her, then smiled and dismissed the girl. She wasn't too happy about that, but he shot her a menacing glare and she reluctantly strode away. "Stormicide, was it? Haven't seen you in these parts for a while. Need something?"

"I was asked to give a message to you." She shrugged, trying her hardest to look and sound nonchalant.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Since when have superheroes turned into messenger boys?"

"She said her name was Kim Daniels. Do you know her?" Kim ignored his comment and went on. Somewhere inside, she was hoping that he'd act cool about it, as it would help her feel better about leaving him. However, she _had_ used her maiden name, so she wondered about how he would react to it. _Of course he won't be affected_. _He doesn't care about me; he's got dozens of women wrapped around his finger_.

But Kim was wrong, at least partially. She could see his left hand shaking, a sign of nervousness that she recognized, and his face had blanched a shade. "No, I don't know anyone by that name." he lied, though his voice betrayed his thoughts.

"Oh, maybe I heard her wrong, then. Forget it, you don't need the message." She turned to leave, wondering if he'd take the bait.

"Wait!" he cried, his voice filled with emotion. Kim turned slightly back towards him. "What…what was the message?"

Kim smiled and it was a smile of both pity and amusement. "When you are gone one day, I can forgive. Even a week, I can forget. But another woman, and I have no choice but to leave to save my heart from breaking."

Jack was still for just a moment, then ran as quickly as possible in the direction of their house. A cruel, bitter smile crossed Kim's lips just then as he passed her. She wondered if he would feel as worried as she did during those two weeks when he got home and saw the house empty. She wondered if he would feel as depressed as she had when he saw the closet devoid of her things and read the note on the bed.

But most of all, Kim wondered if he would cry when he heard the music she had left on just for him to hear, repeating that song over and over… _Le château est dans le ciel. Le bateau est sur l'eau. Les oiseaux volent. Les poissons nagent. Et vous êtes ici avec moi._


	8. Old Habits Die Hard

Just two more chapters after this one, and "Megalomaniac" will be done. I wanted an even 10 chapters, and didn't really want to drag this out too long. If this chapter seems like a big jump—two years!—I apologize, but she didn't do much in those two years, anyway. I'm sure you all wanted to see some of the "Sunshine" events from Stormicide's view, anyway, which is infinitely more interesting and less angsty. By the way, this is my longest chapter yet.

**Chapter Eight – Old Habits Die Hard**

Ironically, Kim had seen more and more of Jacques after she left the house, albeit while in her Stormicide guise. For some reason, however, she couldn't bring herself to file for divorce. Apparently Jacques felt the same way, because he hadn't done it either. Kim knew that Jacques knew where she lived. It was relatively simple for a super of his stature to retrieve such information, and knowing his nature, it was likely that he had done so. He hadn't bothered trying to contact her, though, so for the most part, Kim had moved on. Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, she feared that he was still busy at work on that super serum and would someday come back to haunt her. The fact that he was still working on it meant that he hadn't figured out that she was Stormicide, at least, so Kim could breathe easily knowing that he didn't know her biggest secret.

Since leaving their house, Kim had been spending her days doing mostly hero work. She was getting paid by the NSA enough to survive quite well, and she still had her inheritance money stored somewhere for a rainy day. Her role as Kimberly Daniels had become practically non-existent as she lived it less and less. Downburst had been right—being a hero meant something more than only caring about yourself. He had been a good friend to her for the past two years, and his advice had enabled her to do something that was as rewarding for her was it was for Metroville.

Still, all these things were a cold comfort to Kim. The only things she could think of pertained to Jacques: the things his father had said, what Edna had said…how did it all connect, and what did it mean? She had become an expert at hiding her feelings lately, shoving them down and putting on an entirely different face. Something gnawed at her heart when she talked to Gamma Jack, but she never let it show. He never mentioned the name 'Kim' to her ever again. And thus, two years went by.

--

It was a party. Kim was driving to their house again, the first time she'd been there since she'd left. "Le château est dans le ciel. Le bateau est sur l'eau. Les oiseaux volent. Les poissons nagent. Et vous êtes ici avec moi." She was singing to herself softly in the car, occasionally glancing at the rearview mirror to check her makeup. When she was alone, she could become the old Kim again, even if just for a moment. The old Kim had been meek, submissive, and unsure of her place. Stormicide knew where she was going—to Gamma Jack's party. She hated parties, she hated Gamma Jack, and she hated That House, but she was defying all of it and going anyway. She parked her car a few houses down and walked to the front door. She took a deep breath, then strode inside.

Bright lights. Loud music. Lots of people chattering and laughing and happy. Kim wasn't happy at all, she wanted nothing more than to turn tail and run. If course, she couldn't do that. Almost every super was going to be there, and she had to blend. She told herself that it wasn't just so she could see him again—that she would just be disappointed. Given this "pep" talk, Kim wasn't hurt or surprised in the least when she saw Gamma Jack in the center of a ring of women. Apogee was making her way towards him, Plasmabolt was laughing and casually touching his arm occasionally, and other non-supers were like a gaggle of geese surrounding him.

"DON'T CRY short-lived first loves are good  
because nothing comes of them.   
DON'T CRY you start from there.  
RIDE ON! RIDE ON! RIDE ON!  
no matter how you weaken, I'll keep you safe  
I can handle this much, I can handle it.  
RIDE ON! RIDE ON!  
I think the earth's come down with a slight fever,  
we must champion right"

Kim shook her head at the music. Such idealism. How many people really understood love in all its forms? Not wanting to impose, and slightly overcome by the flood of memories she'd received from coming back into the house, Kim decided to explore, just to see if anything had changed in her absence. To her complete surprise, the house looked exactly as she had left it. The kitchen was still in disarray, and the few things she'd left—photos, jackets, umbrellas—were still left in the same place. It was obvious that Jacques was _using_ the house, as the laundry room had fresh dirty laundry in it, food lay here and there, and newspapers were unfolded and left lying around, but he had apparently been very careful to preserve the way things had been.

She had determined, however, not to let anything come of it. Kim had left him of her own accord and it would take nothing short of a miracle to get her to reconsider, let alone tell him that she had been Stormicide all along.

"DON'T CRY the girl who doesn't cry  
will live her life with strength.  
DON'T CRY Won't lose at love.  
RIDE ON! RIDE ON! RIDE ON!  
no matter how much time passes,  
I'll be waiting.  
this much you can be sure of.  
RIDE ON! RIDE ON!  
pass the sash to the future, there's no doubt in doing what's right"

The music was almost completely muted by the time Kim reached the bedroom. The note she had left was pinned to the wall above the right side of the bed where she had usually laid down to sleep. Upon closer inspection, she found a variety of papers on the nightstand, handwriting analysis of the note, fiscal charts and graphs…she turned away and went towards the window, resting her hand on the small table to the left of it. After staring outside for a few moments, she looked at the table and saw the music player—still with the tape she had left. Feeling nostalgic, Kim pressed play and The Song filled the room with a gentle, quiet French woman singing and completely drowning out the dance music. "Le château est dans le ciel. Le bateau est sur l'eau. Les oiseaux volent. Les poissons nagent. Et vous êtes ici avec moi." She sang along, though her voice was quiet.

"And just what do you think you're doing?"

Kim turned to face the doorway, where Gamma Jack was standing, arms folded against his chest. He didn't appear to be too angry, so Kim shrugged. "The music was too loud, and the lights were too bright. So I came in here to escape, I guess,"

"Did you _have_ to come into this room? Nobody comes into this room," he snapped.

She took a step towards him, a strange smile on her lips. "Oh, really? I didn't know it was a quarantine. Fine, I'll get out." Kim didn't rightly care—she had seen what she needed to see and was content. As she tried to pass him, Jack grabbed her wrist.

"Turn off the music," He said, his voice almost tender. "Please." Kim was surprised by his tone, but obeyed anyway.

"It's not always good to dwell on things, you know?" she warned.

"There are some things you can't forget, as much as you want to," he sighed, leading her out into the hallway. The music was louder now. "I mean it. I'm going back for her as soon as I can."

"Kim, you mean?" It felt weird, talking about herself in the third person. It felt even weirder referring to herself at all, as she hadn't been called Kim since she'd left. "Last time you said you didn't know who she was."

"I didn't want her to be a weakness. If the supervillains knew about her, she'd be in a lot of trouble." He admitted, running his hand through his hair. "I couldn't…let people know that she existed and I had to pretend so much…even now…"

Her heart jumped. Did this mean that he _did_ care about her? That everything had been a lie? She had to make sure; maybe she was misinterpreting his words. "How much does that girl mean to you, anyway?"

"She's—"

There was a loud explosion that cut him off. Kim and Jack exchanged glances, and then ran into the living room. A huge chunk of the wall had been broken through, and Kim could see Bomb Voyage running away, the dusty shadows blocking the outside of the opening from view. Rubble was all over the place, and Apogee, apparently, had been knocked out. Gazerbeam was bent over her, trying to get her to wake up. Apparently it was futile, because after a few moments, he just gently picked her up and laid her on the couch away from danger.

Kim smiled at this. Gazerbeam was a nice guy—dull, but nice. He had been her date to the Superwoman (a dance similar to the normal humans' Sadie-Hawkins) the previous year, so she had gotten to know him a bit.

"Will she be safe here with you?" Gazerbeam asked Downburst. Downburst, who was pretty useless in combat, was staying behind with a few other supers. He reassured Gazerbeam that Apogee would be all right. Gazerbeam ran out through the opening, shortly followed by Mr. Incredible.

"Are you coming?" Gamma Jack asked her as he went towards the opening after them. She nodded and ran.

The quartet followed Bomb Voyage into a clearing. Stormicide saw Mr. Incredible tackle Bomb Voyage, pinning him into the ground. "Show-off," she muttered as she and Gamma Jack ran up to where Mr. Incredible and Gazerbeam were. Bomb Voyage was yelling assorted French curses; Kim had to smile at his fluency.

"Why did you bomb us?" Mr. Incredible yelled at him. "Gazer, call the cops." Gazerbeam turned away, pulling out a communicator and talking into it. Bomb Voyage just yelled something else in French.

"Just let go of him, he's not going anywhere with us four surrounding him," Gamma Jack rolled his eyes. Mr. Incredible looked very wary of the apprehended criminal, but loosened his tight grip. Suddenly, Bomb Voyage grinned evilly and a little plastic ball rolled out of his pocket. It started to beep and flash different colors. "GET DOWN!" Jack yelled, but it was too late. The thing exploded and a noxious smoke filled the air.

"It's a smoke bomb! Gazer!" Mr. Incredible yelled. Gazerbeam's laser came into view, cutting through the smoke.

"Is Stormicide all right?" he asked, and Kim could feel her lungs filling up with the irregular smoke. It seemed to be at least partially poisoned—she had become pretty accustomed to _real_ smoke, and this was nothing like it…her eyes watered and she couldn't stop coughing. "I have to go back for Apogee, can one of you two guys take care of Stormicide?" They assured him that they would and Gazerbeam ran back to the house. By the time the smoke had cleared, Bomb Voyage was totally gone.

"Where's your house, Stormy?" Incredible asked her. Kim shook her head, still coughing.

"Can't…tell you that…it would jeopardize…my secret identity…" she choked out between coughs. Mr. Incredible sighed.

"All right, all right, Incredible, I'll take her to my place." Gamma Jack sighed. "Let's go, messenger girl." He grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the house. Incredible followed and stayed just long enough to see that she would be OK, then left with Elastigirl. Gazerbeam, who had been unable to wake Apogee up, had left with her to his house. Being a friend to both of them, Stormicide hoped that they were doing all right.

The house was now empty, and it was quiet like it hadn't been all evening. The living room, where the party had been held, was a nightmare. Rubble and dust covered everything, and it was a terrible mess. Once her coughing had subsided, she went around the room with Jack, helping him pick things up. The cold November air was flowing into the house. With a shiver, Kim went towards the large opening in the wall. "I wish we could do something about that draft," she said to no one in particular.

"I want this room exactly as it was," Jack growled. "I'll have to call in someone to fix it tomorrow, but I wonder if he'd do it right…?"

"Perfectionist, much?" she teased.

"Only when it comes to a few things," He replied. Kim dusted off one of the couches, and then sat down, leaning against the cushions. "It's strange." Jack said suddenly.

"What is?" she asked, truly curious.

"I feel comfortable with you. I mean, you're not Kim, but I don't have to treat you like I treat the other women," he confided. Kim closed her eyes.

"It's probably just because I told you about her message, so you feel like 'Well, she knows my secret anyway, so why play dumb about it?'" she shrugged.

"Non-super women are so idiotic," he muttered. "Sometimes I think that supers should rule over everybody, you know? It'd be more peaceful that way." He was changing the subject on purpose, and she knew it.

"Do you really want peace, or do you just want to rule? Sounds kind of silly to me," she retorted, opening her eyes. "I don't think any of that really matters. Supers, normal people…we're all human beings in the end, you know? It may be simpler to categorize people and place labels on them based on their abilities, but it doesn't really tell you anything about them." Why couldn't she have told him this earlier? She had felt it all along.

Jack, for his part, sat down on the floor, and then lay down on his back, looking up at the ceiling. "I suppose…that you're probably right. I was just…I wanted her to understand me. I thought that if she was a super, too, she'd understand…"

That did it. Kim didn't want to hear any more, and she got up from the couch. "I guess I better head for home. Thanks for everything, Jack."

Jack stood up. "You really don't have to if you're still feeling sick. You can crash at my place, I don't care."

"It's all right…I think I need to go home." She smiled as brightly as possible. They said their goodbyes, and Kim walked out through the front door, her shadow elongated beside her. Suddenly, everything had made sense, and everything had put itself together. Of course, she couldn't trust him yet, not without knowing everything. With the annual Superwoman coming up in a few weeks, she decided to try asking him. Kim wanted to test him—one last time.


	9. Dance, Dance

There's this Fall Out Boy song that inspired this chapter's style, so if a few lines of it are plugged in here and there…yeah. I thought it fit Kim and Jacques perfectly. Sorry for the long interval between this chapter and the last; I had NaNoWriMo all of November. I'll be getting back into both my Incredibles fics now. Of course, I have finals in two weeks… "Megalomaniac" should be concluded in just a few days. "Sunshine" will be running for a while longer.

**Chapter Nine – Dance, Dance**

It was simple enough, asking Gamma Jack to go to the Superwoman with her. Part of Kim wished that it could have been more dramatic. She could have tried the Casanova approach: "Hey hot stuff. Wanna go to the Superwoman with me?" Kim figured that it would have disastrous results. She could have played it cool—"Hey, I hear you don't have a date. Me neither. Wanna be my de facto date?" Kim decided that _that_ approach was simply ridiculous, as well as embarrassing.

In the end, it turned out something like this:

"Would you like to go to the Superwoman with me?"

Gamma Jack, who was putting handcuffs on a guy who had mugged the reigning Miss Metroville, had been showing his flair for multi-tasking by manhandling the criminal and having a rather lascivious conversation with the beauty queen at the same time. The sight of this hadn't particularly heartened Kim at all, and it took all of her willpower to not grit her teeth in frustration while asking him out.

After dismissing the bottled-blonde Miss Metroville, he turned to Kim carelessly. "Why?" His tone was neither inquisitive nor concerned, but he didn't seem to be disinterested, either.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kim assumed a look of nonchalance, putting one hand on her waist. "Couldn't think of anyone else worth my while," she smirked. Inside, she seethed. Kim knew she was no good with words.

"Is that a fact?" Gamma Jack advanced, and there were just a few inches between them. Kim tilted her head up to keep eye contact. It occurred to her suddenly that she had never ever noticed that he was so tall. And yet hadn't he been looking down on her all along? When she wouldn't avert her gaze, he grinned mock-sheepishly. "Alright then, mademoiselle, if you insist!"

--

And so there she was, wearing a form-fitting dress that was a shade of purple so dark you could've sworn it was black, with a cascade of iridescent rhinestones down one side. It had been purchased during that one-week trip they had spent together in New York. Musing, Kim wondered if he would notice. She was delicately sipping wine from a champagne glass, holding it in her right hand with her pinkie sticking out like the British women did. This was the type of life that she knew many people would love to lead. Kim was a fairly wealthy socialite, and a superhero, to boot. So why did she feel so miserable? She continued to stare outside the window overlooking the lawn, and the moon cast shadows on her face and mask.

"Stormicide," Funny that when he called her by her alias, it didn't send her nerves shooting off like fireworks like it did when he called her by name. Stormicide and Kim were two different people, after all. At that moment, Kimberly Daniels was totally gone, sealed away and untouchable.

"Gamma Jack," she nodded, closing her eyes. "Did you just get here?"

"Yeah, I wanted to make sure my suit looked ok," he grinned. His tie was slightly crooked, and Stormicide laughed in her head—men never _could_ tie their own ties.

"You look great," she smiled, her tone sincere. He smiled in return, but it seemed rather forced and not genuine.

"Listen, listen. I did it."

"Did what?" Stormicide was genuinely confused. His comment was out of place.

"I finished _it_. The 'super serum'. It turns normal people into supers," he sounded excited beyond all reason.

Alarmed, Stormicide replied, "I thought you were giving up on that!"

"I don't care if supers are superior to everybody else or not. I just want her to understand me. I want her to love—"

"You must know how terrible this makes me feel," Stormicide interrupted. "I liked you a lot, you know."

Gamma Jack looked her straight in the eye, held his gaze for a few moments, then glanced downward at his shoes. "I…I'm sorry. I love Kim. Always have, always will,"

Stormicide was fading. "I get you for one night, at least. Come on, dance with me," she pleaded, sounding like a wonderfully spoiled brat. Gamma Jack grinned.

"Me? Refuse a dance with a lovely lady such as yourself? Never!" he gently took her hand and led her out to the dance floor. Twirl, dip, tango, waltz. Stormicide didn't know what it was. Stormicide understood how to save lives, how to dismantle bombs, how to hide her heart in the best way possible so that it would never be broken.

Gamma Jack knew how to make women feel like they were loved. He could make any woman feel wanted and needed, except for one—the one that he actually cared about. Stormicide thought this terribly ironic. He had all the right intentions, but didn't understand anything.

"Living so carelessly like that…what do you get out of it?" she muttered.

"What's that?" he asked. Gamma Jack had been unable to hear her over the loud music, which is what she had wanted, anyway. In reply, she laid her head against his chest for the slow song. If he minded or was surprised, Jack made no indication of it.

The clock struck twelve and sounded long, deep tones. _One…two…_Gamma Jack and Stormicide broke free, and standing there, in that dress that they had bought together, Kim felt herself slowly return. _Three…four…_He was just three feet away. "I'm going back for her," He said, his voice neither soft nor loud. "For Kim." _Five…six…_

"Go sit down over there," she pointed to a large group of chairs on the far side of the auditorium. _Seven…eight…_Chairs were turned to face each other in groups of two so that couples could talk face to face. "Go. I need to go to the bathroom really quick, I'll be there in a minute." _Nine…ten…_

Gamma Jack was, of course, confused. She had totally ignored his comment, which, apparently, had been rather important. But he made no move of protest, and wordlessly moved towards the chairs after nodding his assent. _Eleven…twelve…_The chiming stopped, and on the stroke of twelve, the spell was broken and Stormicide was totally gone. Kim went to the bathroom to remove her mask.


	10. The Return and the Resolution

The last chapter. Honestly, I like "Megalomaniac" more than "Sunshine", so it's sad for me to see it go. Hope anyone reading this has enjoyed the ride and is not disappointed in my happy ending. (I don't have happy endings too often)

**Chapter Ten – The Return and the Resolution**

It felt strangely refreshing to take her mask off. For two years, she had been Stormicide—her secret identity had been virtually non-existent, as she wasn't really needed once Jacques was no longer a part of her life. She came out of the bathroom and spotted him close by, staring off into the distance. Rather than taking the chair facing him, Kim sat down in the chair behind Gamma Jack, and sat back-to-back with him. Jack stiffened. "Don't turn around," Kim spoke in a soft voice, Stormicide's confidence and easy strength gone. Nobody would worry about them. The party was in full swing, and the lights made it hard to see Kim's face, anyway. Nobody would see that her mask was gone. Even if they did see, Kim had accomplished what she wanted. She had become a heroine for only one reason—

"I tell you, I'm going back for her," Gamma Jack repeated, his tone sober and almost mechanical.

"You don't have to," she replied simply. Gamma Jack started to turn around in surprise, and again she stopped him. "Don't."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" he snapped. Kim couldn't tell what he was referring to, so she decided not to answer. Taking a deep breath, she started to sing.

"_Le château est dans le ciel. Le bateau est sur l'eau. Les oiseaux volent. Les poissons nagent. Et vous êtes ici avec moi._" Her voice was more like a whispering wind, as Jacques had told her all those years ago, the French sounding strangely exotic in her own, unique accent. They were both silent for a few moments. "I wonder if you remember the fire extinguisher incident."

"How could I forget? You never let me forget," he choked out a reply, his voice bitter and anguished-sounding. The realization was a lot for him to take.

"You had just come home," she went on, taking his words in, but not responding to them. "Back then, you were still coming home in the afternoon, not at night like you did afterwards. It had been only a week since our marriage, and despite your powers, despite everything, I loved you. More than anything." She leaned against him, her left hand lying limp at her side. Kim felt him grip her hand in his own, and wondered just how much he understood. How much did _either_ of them understand about each other?

"Liar. You were scared to death of me," he snapped in return, breaking her from her thoughts. "You wouldn't even look me in the eye. And you barely spoke to me at all."

Kim drew a sharp breath, and thought her words over in her head carefully, not wanting to be misinterpreted. These moments were all they had—there was an equal chance for both reconciliation, and a total severing of ties. Finally, she spoke. "I could have left any time before the day I did. If I were truly terrified of you, I would have left you long ago," There was a long silence, and Kim knew that he was thinking of that afternoon.

--

The super known as Fironic was sprawled on the living room couch, sipping lemonade out of a cup that Kim had graciously given him. He had shown up at Kim and Jacques' front door, wanting to speak to Gamma Jack.

It hadn't stricken her as particularly strange. Jack was known to throw supers' parties at their house from time to time, though Kim was never allowed to be present, and no super had shown up uninvited before. She had seen Fironic on television a few times before, so she trusted him wholeheartedly. Kim had simply told Fironic that Jack wouldn't be home for another hour. It was a younger Kim who spoke, one that was less mousy, more like Stormicide. She had faith, then, and some courage, nearly five years ago.

Fironic, for his part, had invited himself inside and insisted on waiting for Gamma Jack to get home, making himself quite comfortable in their house.

"I didn't know Gamma Jack was married," Fironic said casually, some time later, taking another gulp of lemonade.

"Is that so?" Kim knew she was terrible at small talk, particularly with supers such as her husband. She felt nervous in their presence, as if she was constantly being judged. Nearly half an hour had passed since he'd shown up, and they'd barely said a word to each other. Kim was busying herself in the kitchen, making dinner.

"Yeah, he's never talked about you at all. What's your name?"

"It's Ki—"

At that moment, the front door slammed open. "FIRONIC!" It was Jack, and he sounded enraged. Fironic sat up and started walking towards the front room. Alarmed, Kim took off her apron and went to see what was going on. When she reached the front door, Jack and Fironic were yelling at each other in the foyer. She looked outside a little, and noticed that Fironic had his mini-plane on the front lawn, which is how Jack knew that he was here. When the two saw Kim, they both froze. Then, if possible, Jack got even angrier, shoved Fironic to the left, and took a step towards her. "What are you doing!" he demanded to know.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her tone defensive.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Jack yelled. "You know they're not supposed to see you!"

"What? What's wrong with letting one of your _friends_ in the house? What's wrong with me being seen by them, are you embarrassed by me or something?" This was the most she'd said to him in days, and the loudest she'd ever spoken to him, period. Her eyes quickly darted to Fironic, who looked rather uncomfortable.

"You. Aren't. Supposed. To. Be. Seen." Jack said through gritted teeth. He then stopped, as if just noticing that Fironic was there. With an annoyed sigh, he grabbed Kim's wrist and dragged her to the kitchen. "You're not supposed to answer the door unless it's one of _your_ friends," he snapped.

Hurt and very confused, Kim persisted, "You never let me go to your supers' parties, and Fironic said that you haven't even _mentioned_ me—"

"As far as the world's concerned, you don't exist." He replied, his voice hard. She could see him balling his hand not holding her wrist into a fist.

"But _why_?"

"Damn it all, Kim!" Jack slammed his fist against the countertop and let go of her hand with his other hand.

"Jack!" Fironic was in the entrance to the kitchen. "What are you doing to her?" he yelled.

"What the hell? Why did you follow us? You're supposed to stay put in the doorway! This is a private conversation!" Jack roared.

"How _can_ I when you're yelling so loudly? You shouldn't treat a woman that way, least of all your wife!" Fironic chastised.

Jack blinked a few times. "How did you know she was my wife?" He glanced between Kim and Fironic back and forth a few times. "Did she tell you?" His eyes narrowed.

"She might as well not be, as poorly as she's being treated!" Fironic dodged the question. Kim looked up at Jack in fear. His face was contorted into a mask of rage, and both of Jack's fists started glowing green.

"Are you challenging me, you little _salaud_?" When Jack used French, his mother tongue, Kim knew to hide. She instinctively took a few steps back, but Jack mirrored her, slipping his right arm around her waist and pulling her to him. With his other glowing hand, he shot a radiation wave at the fire extinguisher, which was just next to Fironic's head. In that instant, he turned his back on Fironic, shielding Kim. There was a large explosion. Bits of the fire extinguisher went here and there and a cloud of white liquefied carbon dioxide filled the room.

"He'll be blind for the rest of his life, I hope you know," Agent Dicker said to Jacques a day later. Kim was leaning against the opposite wall, her mind blank. "He'll never be able to do hero work again."

"You know how touchy I get when my wife's concerned," Jacques replied simply, his tone a mixture of sadistic and amused.

"If it wasn't for how much Metroville needs you, you'd be arrested for assault. As it is, the NSA is putting you on probation and watch," the older man replied harshly, annoyed at the super's callousness. On his way out, he muttered to Kim, "God help you both."

The couple stood in silence for some time. "Why?" Kim finally choked out.

"Supers are going to rule the world some day." Jacques mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Why?" Kim repeated a little louder.

"Wouldn't you like that? To be married to the king of the entire planet?" his eyes flashed, childishness, impishness, evilness…something.

"AREN'T YOU SORRY _AT ALL_?" she yelled.

Silence.

"For what?" Jacques smiled a crocodile's smile.

"Fironic is…he's blind now because of you!"

"You know, you're lucky you're my wife, because otherwise I'd be rather angry with you right now. You let another man into the house, and who knows what you were doing?"

"We didn't do _anything_. He said he wanted to wait for you, and carelessly invited himself in!" she defended.

"So then he deserved what he got, because he was rude." Jacques grinned.

"No! Not like _that_! To lose your _sight_? It's too cruel, Jacques!" she took a step towards him. "Why did you have to—" Her eyes moistened, and she felt her upper lip quiver.

"No one is ever supposed to know about you," he walked towards her and smiled. "Well, no supers, anyway. If your identity ever leaked out…if _anyone_ ever found out that you and I were connected…"

"Am I so embarrassing to you?" she sobbed, interrupting him.

"You non-supers are nothing but trouble." He spat. His words cut through her like a knife, and suddenly Kim felt as if she had been doused with ice water. As he passed her by, he stopped at her side and said, "Forget today ever happened. Go back to being a good little wife, and we can forget all about today."

"You…you complete megalomaniac! All you care about is having the world run _your_ way!" she screamed.

"_And we're going to take over the world, you and I…_" He sang, his voice teasing and provocative. Their eyes met, and Kim was first to break her gaze. There was just a little breeze as Jacques walked past her and shut the door.

--

"You…really were protecting me, weren't you?" Kim opened her eyes, and saw only darkness around her with a few colored lights flashing here and there, illuminating the dance floor. She heard Jack sigh. "If you had only told me…all the misunderstandings it created…all the troubles we went through…"

"What difference would it have made?" Jack's voice was soft and gentle.

"It would have been _all_ the difference to me," she responded, and Jack's grip on her hand tightened.

"All those other women were nothing. I just…I couldn't let you go. I had to hide your existence and look like I could never be tied down. If _anyone _ever found out that I was married, and to a non-super, they would have jumped on the opportunity to take you away. I couldn't…I couldn't bear to let that happen!"

"Jack, I was so afraid…after that day, I thought you didn't care about me at all. Even when I found out that I had powers, I didn't want to tell you. I wanted to see if you were…if you were being loyal to me, and what I found…I came upon the wrong conclusion entirely!" her voice was wrought with emotion.

Jack stood up, and turned to look down at her. He couldn't see her face, and so he gently moved his hand to her chin and tilted it up so he could look her in the eye. There were a few lines from too much wear and stress, but it was _his Kim_, all right. He led her by the hand back onto the terrace, out of view. They both stared out at the lawn, hands still entwined, for several moments.

"Can you ever…forgive me?" she asked him shyly. "For deceiving you for all this time, and being so ignorant of your kindness for so long?" Who could understand such kindness! A man had become blind for her, all so that she could be saved and protected. "And you worked on that super serum for so long…all for nothing."

"You know, I think since that first day I saw Stormicide, I was suspicious that it was you. Your hair, your body, the way you spoke…it was just like how you were before we got married. Every time I came home from work and saw you, I always wondered if you two were one and the same." His free hand balled into a fist and shook. "But you were so unresponsive at home, I figured there was no way you could be Stormicide." Kim took a breath, feeling guilty. Jack sighed. "But no. There's nothing to forgive. I…I lied about the super serum. I stopped it after we spoke at the house after Bomb Voyage stormed the place." He let go of her hand and took a step forward, his back to her. "Stormicide or Kim, I knew that you were interested in me. I can flirt with other women, but to betray you…" He smiled and shook his head. "I wanted to end it, so I told Stormicide that I was going back to my wife, hoping that she'd back off. "And I thought, far in the back of my head, that if you _were_ Kim, something would happen." He turned to Kim and smiled, a little sadly. "And it did."

She sidled closer to him, and leaned against him. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

Jack kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry, too. For being a terrible husband who never explained anything to his wife, and for everything."

"I don't want to hear any more apologies." She said gently, playfully. "Tell me you love me." She ordered. Jack whistled, and his shaky smile turned into a grin. "Seriously. I want to hear it." Kim persisted.

"_Le château est dans le ciel. Le bateau est sur l'eau. Les oiseaux volent. Les poissons nagent. Et vous êtes ici avec moi._"

Before she could open her mouth to protest, Jack's mouth was on hers. Tears flooded Kim's eyes, and she closed them, the saltwater flowing down her cheeks. As he hugged her close, rocking her back and forth, Kim thought that it must have been the greatest kiss that she had ever known.


End file.
